How to Fight Corporate Gun Control

U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- When it comes to gun control, many people think of legislation, political campaigns, and even ballot issues. Lately, though, a new front is opening up in the battle for our Second Amendment rights – and it is primarily in corporate corner offices and boardrooms.

Major corporations are now siding with those who attack our Second Amendment rights. Sounds harsh, but that is the objective reality behind the decisions of a number of companies who cut ties with the National Rifle Association in the wake of the shooting in Parkland. But it is going beyond that, as well.

Banks are already enacting policies to close accounts used by Federal Firearms License holders. This was started under Operation Choke Point, and even though the government version was shut down, the approach has been seized on by anti-Second Amendment activists funded by Michael Bloomberg, who have pressured Bank of America and Citibank to take action.

The fact is, Bloomberg and others who seek to make the Second Amendment a dead letter have doubled down on the social stigmatization of those who exercise their constitutional rights to keep and bear arms, as well as using their First Amendment rights to protect the Second Amendment. This is part of the reason Silicon Valley’s push against the Second Amendment is so dangerous, as well.

Some of this has been pushed by officials like New York governor Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo’s had a long history of hostility towards the Second Amendment, and his most recent efforts to use bank regulations to try to deny the National Rifle Association financial services shows just how far he will take that hostility. Cuomo justified it by declaring that the NRA is “causing carnage” (never mind that the real responsibility is with the perps), and “bad guys” (even though they stand for tougher sentences for the criminal misuse of firearms).

Cuomo, it seems, has decided that those who exercise their First Amendment rights to oppose gun control deserve to be silenced with the power of the government. Second Amendment supporters have used freedom of speech to explain why gun control laws are not good ideas. They have used the freedom of assembly to not only rally for the Second Amendment but to form organizations like the National Rifle Association, to magnify their voices in support of the Second Amendment. They also have exercised the right to petition for the redress of grievances, both through contacting elected officials and in having those pro-Second Amendment organizations do so. They have even used the freedom of the press to establish outlets like NRA TV and NRA News.

The goal of corporate gun control is to make the exercise of not just Second Amendment rights far more difficult (if not impossible), but to also make the exercise of one’s First Amendment rights in defense of the Second Amendment far more difficult and costly at best, if not making it impossible. With the former, it would be a simple matter of cutting FFLs off from financial services should they decide to keep selling (or manufacturing) AR-15-type rifles.

For the latter, it is simply a case of getting Second Amendment advocates to choose not to speak out. Already on social media, Silicon Valley has allowed hateful comments against Dana Loesch to stand for a long time. But that is the tip of the iceberg. It is about making Second Amendment defenders feel isolated and alone.

What is to be done about this? With the House in the hands of the Democrats, there isn’t much that can be done on the legislative front (albeit, it would not hurt to push legislation prohibiting financial services companies from not doing business with any business making legal products or organizations and people that exercise their constitutional rights). Right now, what can be done is grassroots efforts, including several of the efforts that can be used to combat social stigmatization.

The fight for our Second Amendment rights is entering a new phase. This time, though, the stakes are far higher. Corporate gun control is going to be difficult, but not impossible, to defeat. It just will take a long time.

About Harold Hutchison

Writer Harold Hutchison has more than a dozen years of experience covering military affairs, international events, U.S. politics and Second Amendment issues. Harold was consulting senior editor at Soldier of Fortune magazine and is the author of the novel Strike Group Reagan. He has also written for the Daily Caller, National Review, Patriot Post, Strategypage.com, and other national websites.

I find the authors statement “it would not hurt to push legislation prohibiting financial services companies from not doing business with any business making legal products or organizations and people that exercise their constitutional rights” to be just as bad as what the anti gunners are trying to do. Calling for more government edicts and givign the government more regulatory will only make things worse for all of us.

We need institutions and companies that are not beholden to or controlled by the current financial services sector.

We need our own banks, credit unions, and card processors like visa and mastercard.

Terclinger, I was just about to comment on that, myself. It would have been good for the author of this to expand on that, since he didn’t state anywhere else “How to Fight Corporate Gun Control”, the main topic of his commentary.

Mark & Ray are correct. I would remind everyone of what Kruschev said at the UN in NYC many years ago: We will take away your rights slice by slice, so while doing so, you won’t notice that they are gone, until they are GONE. He also pointed out that this could take many years. Well, it has been “many years”, and we now have people in Congress like that imbecile from NYC (Cortez) who is an open Socialist and doesn’t even know how many branches of gov’t the US has (“uh, I think it has three chambers”). It is our fault. All our fault. WE focused on the Presidency, etc. The Socialist focused at the grassroots: who get elected to the various school boards. WE must re-focus and win back THOSE seats and oust the Commies the teach our children that the USA is a bad place.

Yesser, yesser, mold those “minds full of mush,” at their pre-maturity, and what you get is what we have now! People who (don’t) think, or believe, that Socialism/Communism, or any ism is a preferred system to that which has made America the greatest force for GOOD on the planet! It doesn’t take a nuclear scientist to determine the ‘reason’ that millions of “Americans(?)” supported a ‘convicted out of her own mouth criminal,’ in Clinton, and possibly worse, an avowed Socialist/Communist in Sanders! Our kids, well mine have not (older), have been INDOCTRINATED to resemble robotic lemmings for the whacky Left. The bedrock of American society, the strong Family Unit, has been decimated over the past fifty-odd years. If that single structure is NOT turned around, NO society can survive without that “two parent” strong family unit! America has LOST the culture war. Every cultural stat, from birth to death are in the toilet. I could list some, but as they say, “you can look it up!”

Actually he said: “We cannot expect the American People to jump from Capitalism to Communism, but we can assist their elected leaders in giving them small doses of Socialism, until they awaken one day to find that they have Communism.”
~ Nikita Khrushchev
What Putin likes to see is our acceptance with left handed cigarettes. I cannot understand why the John Wayne gun activist embrace dope. Maybe it is because dopers are in the 25 or 6 to 4 mode.

“(albeit, it would not hurt to push legislation prohibiting financial services companies from doing business with any business making legal products or organizations and people that exercise their constitutional rights)”
Pretty sure you meant that the law should make it illegal to NOT do business with business and people who are acting legally.

Who is going to do that? The GOP? I seriously doubt it. In my 67 years, I’ve observed lawyers will only choose those lawsuits they believe they can win. We witnessed the True color of the GOP when it came to the Kavanah ordeal – YELLOW. They do not even have the balls to contest the many House seats “won” by the lying, cheating, evil democRATS.
I do not know who will go after these communists owning corporations. The NRA? GOA? Why not join forces and go for the jugular? Then we have Trump and the weak DOJ who have done NOTHING to arrest everyone involved with the fake Russian Dossier. We do not have the time to wait for Trump or his administration to do anything. We are on the precipice of history regarding this country’s future and I do not see enough people with enough rage to save it.
Michigan lost 2 important elections – the governorship and the Senate races to democRATS. I for one will NEVER cooperate/partake with their governmental changes. I have become a “sort-of” anarchist (minus the overthrow of the government) as I do not believe governments can ever properly serve the public. It is the elected and non-elected people IN government who determine whether or not a government SERVES the people. From what I have observed in my life, very seldom do governments ever do that. Again, it’s the people working inside the government who will either serve us or not. I’ve yet to see a government achieve this. I have lived in several European countries and China critically observing their politics and comparing it to America. While we have the potential of returning to what was once great, if there isn’t a huge awakening of the American public and the expressed outrage I fear we are witnessing the destruction from enemies within. Yes, people voted for Trump but in spite of a few bones thrown our way he has yet to fulfill his major promises. That a caravan of invaders are outside our door already causing major problems with our forces’ hands tied speaks volumes. Rubber bullets, microwave and other non-lethal weapons are available yet not much is being done. Screw the media, screw the democRAT/communists, our future is at stake and anyone who understands this (Does Trump really?) would use whatever means necessary to force them away. No compromises. That Pelosi “predicted” with such certainty the dems taking the House – doesn’t that alone wake anyone up?
So how are we going to have lawsuits against these corporations win especially when, WRONGFULLY and IMMORALLY they are considered “persons”?

Oldmarine >>> Mark
what the citizens of this country need is a citizen committee to oversee the politicians of this country. If we had that then Americans could hold government responsible for NON Constitution actions by any branch of the government for violations. This would be completely legal, all we need is some millionaire to support any legal action taken by the committee. If I had the money I sure would be after those anti American Public Servants who are greedy ones that have their own agenda, not those they are supposed to serve. If there ever is another revolution, it will be much like the French revolution and all Government will be in serious danger of fatal judgement. Revolutions most of the time are spontaneous more than planned so you never know what will happen. The silent majority arises on these occasions and has a cleansing effect. we have a lot of despots and actually criminals in all government today and some day and someway nature will correct the problem. Create that committee to avoid a citizens civil reaction and our government gone corrupt communistic. Save America and prevent the possibility of another Civil war. Semper Fi